Cubs $14.5 Million Free Agent Bust Hits Injured List, Pitching Crisis Continues

June 26, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

The Cubs lost $14.5 million free-agent reliever Phil Maton to the injured list, adding a new setback to their pitching staff. Getty

Right-hander Phil Maton landed on the 15-day injured list Friday for the second time this season with the same right knee tendinitis that cost him time in April, deepening questions about a $14.5 million free-agent investment that has yet to pay off.

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The latest Maton injury setback arrives as Chicago’s pitching staff reaches a new level of crisis.

Maton’s Knee Issue Resurfaces for Cubs

The Cubs announced the move Friday, with Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network confirming right knee tendinitis as the diagnosis, according to CBS Sports. It is Maton’s second IL stint of 2026 with the same ailment. He previously landed on the 15-day IL retroactive to April 8, rehabbed with a scoreless two-inning outing for Triple-A Iowa and was reinstated April 27.

His most recent appearance came Thursday against the New York Mets, when he surrendered two hits, including a game-tying home run in the seventh inning. The outing was a microcosm of a rough season in which he has posted a 6.08 ERA, 1.76 WHIP and a 31-to-15 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 26 2/3 innings. Bruce Levine, baseball analyst for WSCR-AM radio, also reported the roster move, noting the Cubs simultaneously activated left-hander David Peterson, acquired from the New York Mets in a trade Thursday.

The decline has been jarring given what Maton produced in 2025. Across stints with the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers, he posted a 2.79 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 81 strikeouts over 61 1/3 innings, numbers that persuaded Chicago to hand him a two-year, $14.5 million guaranteed contract, according to Spotrac. A club option for 2028 sweetens the deal. The 33-year-old Louisiana Tech product, a 10-year MLB veteran who has suited up for seven organizations, was supposed to anchor the setup corps in front of closer Daniel Palencia. He has instead become a bullpen liability.

Cubs Pitching Crisis Deepens

Maton’s IL designation is one more wound on a staff already bleeding. Justin Steele is on the 60-day IL with a left elbow issue; Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer called a return to the major league rotation this season “unrealistic.” Cade Horton is out for the year following elbow surgery. Jameson Taillon (hamstring), Edward Cabrera (hamstring), Ben Brown (neck), Daniel Palencia (elbow), Hunter Harvey (triceps) and Porter Hodge (elbow) are all sidelined as well, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Matthew Boyd’s anticipated return from the IL offers some relief, as does a positive Taillon update Friday suggesting a possible comeback before the All-Star break.

Against that backdrop, Chicago acquired left-hander Peterson from the Mets in exchange for minor league infielder Cole Mathis, a 22-year-old 2024 second-round pick who batted .272 with 10 home runs and a .981 OPS across Low-A and High-A this season, according to ESPN. Peterson was added to the 26-man roster Friday and is slated to start Saturday against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Peterson brings his own complicated rÃ©sumÃ©. The 30-year-old left-hander owned a 2.83 ERA through 21 starts as recently as Aug. 6 last season. He then posted a 6.98 ERA across his next 17 starts and eight relief appearances. His final outing in a Mets uniform â five runs allowed over four innings Sunday against the Philadelphia Phillies â did little to bolster confidence. The Cubs, holding the third NL wild-card spot at 44-37 and five games behind Milwaukee in the NL Central, need him to be the pitcher he was for most of last season.